Study says Dutch troops used 'extreme' violence in Indonesia
ABC News
A multi-year research project has concluded that Dutch troops used extreme violence during Indonesia’s war for independence and military leaders and politicians in the Netherlands largely ignored the excesses
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Dutch troops used “extreme violence” — often deliberately — during Indonesia's 1940s war for independence, and military leaders and politicians in the Netherlands largely ignored the excesses, a long-running research project concluded in findings published Thursday.
The 4 1/2-year investigation by experts from three historical research institutes contradicts the Dutch government's long-held view that the country's troops engaged in extreme violence only sporadically as they battled pro-independence forces in what became Indonesia.
In a statement, the researchers said the sources they consulted “show that the use of extreme violence by the Dutch armed forces was not only widespread, but often deliberate, too. It was condoned at every level: political, military and legal.”
The researchers said it was not impossible to give exact numbers of crimes and victims.
